Magellan Cyclo 500 Series

The crew at Cyclist were given one of the first opportunities to touch and feel the latest Magellan Cyclo 500 series cycling computers.

From our initial experience, there will be some tough decisions to make when looking to purchase your first or next GPS-equipped cycling computer. The Cyclo series will be available in the coming weeks and competitively positioned from $379 for the Cyclo 500 with the ANT+-enabled Cyclo 505 starting at $399. There are plenty of great new features, some of which are exclusive to Magellan but before we go and spoil the party we thought it better to just provide a couple of tidbits ahead of a full test in an upcoming issue of Cyclist.

The 129g (claimed) unit may be a little heavier than the 97g Garmin Edge 810 but the Magellan does have a couple of neat features including WiFi upload straight to your Magellan Cyclo account or a favourite third-party site like Strava, TrainingPeaks and Facebook. We think that’s enough to excuse the minor weight penalty.

All Cyclo computers are pre-loaded with comprehensive Australian and New Zealand maps including on and off-road specific paths and tracks so you can pick and choose how to get from A to B. Arrived in a new area and want to go for a ride? No problem. Press “Surprise Me” on the colour and backlit touchscreen and adjust desired ride distance, time, difficulty and you are ready to roll – with complete navigation guiding you along for a new adventure. Navigation appears to be very user-friendly but at this stage we will have to wait until spending some time with it before making up our minds.